Three Little Words
by Secret Identity Girl
Summary: Lois' world is turned on it's head by three little words. How will she react when the truth comes out?
1. Chapter 1

It was such a little thing she reasoned a few hours later as she sat at her desk at the Daily Planet. A little thing that altered her world. Three little words which altered her entire life.

Honestly Lois' first reaction had been to feel angry. To lean across the large mahogany conference table and shout at him until her throat hurt ... to punch him in the face over and over again and then tear his insides out and hang them out to dry. Yet now, a few hours later, as she sat here nursing a mug a coffee (coffee that Clark Kent aka Superman had fetched for her) she began to process her thoughts much like she would on a new story she was working on. She wasn't angry any more or in shock. She was simply upset. She couldn't believe that she had never seriously considered the fact that he had a secret identity or if she had, she certainly never thought his secret identity was someone she knew, someone she considered her friend. She felt betrayed that he didn't feel he could confide in her.

She thought back over the mornings staff meeting and the moment that everything changed. Perry had as usual been bellowing at the Daily Planets employees filling the conference room. Whilst the more seasoned reporters had taken it in their stride the younger ones looked ready to bolt . Lois had known Perry since she graduated and considered him as a second father. She knew that his bark was much, much worse than his bite and it often amused her when these kids straight out of college were quaking in their shoes. The fact that none of them had the nerve to sit to the table with the other reporters and instead stood around the perimeter of the room never failed to make her smile. Lois sat on one of the sleek and modern blue fabric chairs directly opposite Clark, tapping her pen on the scarred table whilst glancing down at her battered note book.

Her mind hadn't really been focused on the subject at hand as she was going over her notes for the opening of the new Wayne Foundation Museum on the outskirts of Metropolis. Why Bruce Wayne wanted to open a museum in Metropolis was anyone's guess but Lois was hoping to get an amazing interview from the Prince of Gotham himself. Bruce Wayne rarely gave personal interviews and if anyone was going to find out the inner workings of the billionaires brain it was going to be Lois Lane. She had been glancing across at Clark and wondering if he would be free to babysit Jason if she was lucky enough to get an interview over dinner on Saturday. Since her break up with Richard she had relied on Clark a few times to look after her son and was amazed how much Jason worshipped him.

Perry's voice had broken through her thoughts when he bellowed "Clark ... Clark are you going to be around later?". Clark's thoughts must also have been elsewhere because Jimmy had to give him a nudge with his leather clad elbow to get his attention. He looked up startled with an owl like expression and said "I'm always around"... just three little words which changed everything.

To say she had been shocked was an understatement, the air had whooshed from her lungs and she had a strange sensation in her head which felt like thousands of little needles had been inserted into her skull. There had been so many thoughts going through her head that she simply couldn't process them all at once. In her befuddled mind Superman's face appeared superimposed on top of Clark's. She had realised then that her heart beat was out of control and she was in danger of hyperventilating right there in the middle of the conference room if she didn't do something, anything to calm herself down.

My God ... Clark Kent was Superman! The sweet goofy farm boy from Kansas and her superhero ex-boyfriend, the father of her son were the same person. They had the same chiselled jaw line and the same bright blue eyes, the same straight nose and the same long artistic fingers. The only difference was the thick glasses. Oh My God how could a simple pair of glasses hide a secret of this magnitude?

She had suddenly become aware that there was movement around her. The meeting had come to an end and the Daily Planet staff were leaving the confides of the overcrowded and overheated conference room. She stayed seated unable to make her brain tell her body to move.

"Geez ... Lois are you OK? You look kind of upset!" Clark's voice had sounded so normal, the same voice she heard him use every day, well whenever he wasn't wearing blue tights. She had sat there frozen. He had come up behind her chair and bent his body slightly to look into her eyes. His face had been clouded in concern. She realised with awe that her pounding heartbeat must have alerted him to her distress.

She had suddenly become aware that she was staring at him with her mouth open but she still found it difficult to string together a real sentence. She had hastily snapped her mouth shut with an audible click and muttered something unintelligible under her breath. Clark's concern had grown but he knew to tread lightly with the irrepressible Lois Lane. He simply asked if there was anything he could do to help.

She had quickly grabbed her bag and her long warm coat and swept through the bullpen and over to the elevators. She had been aware that if she tried to communicate with him further she would simply have gone to pieces. As she ran across the marble floor of the bullpen towards the elevators she had noticed Richard White, her ex-fiancé. He must have seen the confusion displayed across her face because he had quickly stood up and headed towards his office door on his way to waylay her. The last thing she had needed then was Richard White. At the elevator she had pressed the button marked up and then pressed it again and again for good measure. She needed air and she needed time to think.

The irony of going up onto the roof of the Daily Planet wasn't lost on her but the air had done her the world of good and a when she had returned to her desk a half hour late she felt much more like herself. Lois had always been very pragmatic and had to admit even to herself that if their roles were reversed she would have had problems confiding in Clark too. Once a secret of this magnitude was out there was no going back.

Her relationship with Richard had come to it's natural end once Superman had come back into everyone's life. She had been in love with Richard, he had been her saviour. Her solid rock when her life had been in utter confusion. He had been there when she found out she was pregnant and they had both assumed that the baby was his. He'd held her hand whilst she gave birth and he had been the only father Jason had know but in her heart she knew that her love for him had been weak compared to the feelings she used to have for the superhero in her life. For Clark Kent! Clark was her friend. He was steady and reliable and she had trusted him implicitly but did she love him? Did she even know him?

Around lunchtime a silence had fallen on the bullpen as everyone surveyed the screens. There was a large forest fire in California and Superman was in attendance. She had been surreptitiously looking towards the elevator doors all afternoon for him but with a bemused feeling realised that Clark wasn't going to come through the elevator doors any time soon. It was so surreal and she found herself smiling like an idiot!

About ten minutes after Superman had left the scene in California her eyes were drawn to the elevator doors and sure enough Clark walked through them. He glanced up at Lois and stopped still as he saw the expression on her face, paused and looked behind him to see if the strange expression on her face was meant for him. His worry should have grated on Lois' nerves but she couldn't help but chuckle to herself. His confusion was absolute and with a flash of insight Lois realised that her new found knowledge could work to her advantage. She had no intention of letting him know that she knew his secret ... not yet anyway. She needed a bit more time. Time to understand her feelings towards the man, time to see how far she could go with this before he figured out that she knew.

As he approached his desk across from Lois she got a whiff of smoke, obviously from the fire. With hindsight she realised that Clark's mysterious disappearances often resulted in him coming back smelling of smoke but she had never really paid much attention to it before. What else hadn't she paid attention to? She thought of all the flimsy excuses he had used in the past to leave her presence. She understood that there was still a little tiny bit of her that was angry at him when she asked the next question or when the little devil on her shoulder prodded her.

"Clark where have you been you reek of smoke and you haven't been in the office all day!"

He looked up and pushed if oversized glasses further up his nose. He had a slightly panicked expression on his face as he tried to come up with an excuse.

"Well I er ... I was supposed to be interviewing inspector Henderson about the Mackenzie case but he was called away and then I caught up with him at lunch and there was a bonfire" Lois stared at him speechlessly. You would think with all his powers he would be able to think on his feet much quicker than this. It was pathetic!

"Right well then" she said "I've a favour to ask you. I'm trying to get an interview set up with someone and his PA suggested that he might want to take me to dinner for the interview. I'm hoping for it to be tonight. Do you think you could look after Jason?"

His face lit up and he flashed Lois his infamous farm boy grin. She almost melted inside as she realised that she was giving him an excuse to spend time with his son. No wonder he didn't mind babysitting! She had been a little peeved with Superman as he had promised to be there for Jason. She suspected that he had been visiting him at night once he was asleep but that was for his own benefit not Jason's. Now of course she knew that he had spent plenty of time with him either when he was babysitting or at the Daily Planet.

"Course I will Lois just let me know when ... I love spending time with the little guy"

"OK then I'll make the arrangements" She reached across and grabbed the outdated phone on her desk and dialled the number scribbled on her notebook "This is Lois Lane from the Daily Planet. May I speak with Bruce Wayne's PA please?" She quickly spoke to the woman on the other end of the phone and made arrangements to go out to dinner with the billionaire that night and someone would pick her up at 7.30.

She glanced across at Clark but stopped in her tracks when she saw the expression on his face. His mouth was open in shock but his eyes had a dark dangerous expression which she had never seen on him before either as Clark or as Superman.

"You OK Smallville?" She asked in concern. What had happened to make him this angry?

"You are going out to dinner with Bruce Wayne ... THE Bruce Wayne? ... And I'm babysitting" He managed to get the words out but the harshness of his voice made him sound more like his alter ego than the mild mannered reporter. He was really upset and angry and struggling to keep it in. Was he jealous? Oh lord what did this mean? She had been on a few dates since here break up from Richard but she'd never mentioned it in front of Clark before. Did this mean he still had feelings for her?

Lois wasn't sure what to say "If you can't look after Jason I can ask someone else you know .. what difference does it make who I'm going with Clark? Perry has been on my case all week about getting an interview with him" she paused and then against her better judgement added "He thinks that as I'm Superman's favourite reporter that I can charm Bruce Wayne as well"

She saw Clark gulp and mentally pull himself together. "I ... er you know the reputation Bruce Wayne has, he is a total cad when it comes to women. You will be careful won't you?" his concern was annoying. She may not have his superpowers but she wasn't dumb enough to be taken in by a billionaire playboy.

Now she was pissed off "I am a professional investigative reporter Clark. Do you think I'm going to jump into bed with the man to get an interview. What do you think I am?" Her voice had risen considerably and a silence had fallen across the room.

He looked like he was going to say something but then changed his mind. "Sorry" he mumbled "Of course not I just hear he can be charming! ... I need to make a phone call!" Instead of using the phone on his desk he pulled out his mobile and punched in some numbers as he strode across the room into the spare office. His footsteps were confident and Lois realised that he must have temporarily forgot his office persona. Her mind whirled as she realised that he was jealous! Did he really think she would be interested in Bruce Wayne? As if her life wasn't complicated enough without throwing a sexy rich and flirty billionaire into the equation.

She pondered whether or not to cancel the interview but with her usual stubbornness she pushed the thought from her mind. If she wanted to spend the evening with a charming companion why shouldn't she? It served Clark (aka the caped wonder) right to be a little jealous and boy was she going to make him suffer!


	2. Chapter 2

Clark arrived at 7pm that evening and straight away Jason flew into his arms. "Mr Clark, I'm watching my new DVD upstairs. Do you want to watch it too!" he yelled as Clark easily swung him around in the air. "Sure Jason I'd love to" he replied as the boy grabbed his hand and attempted to pull him up the stairs. Clark looked back at Lois and she nodded her head in acceptance, wondering what Clark's reaction would be when he realised he was agreeing to watch an Aquaman film! Did Clark know Aquaman? Was there some sort of superhero club where they all knew each other? Lois shook her head to clear the strange thoughts! God she was losing it!

Lois paced the hallway. She felt oddly nervous, almost as if she was going on a real date with the man instead of doing an interview. Clark's animosity towards the billionaire was strange. She knew deep down that Clark understood her well enough to know she would never be taken in by a man such as Bruce Wayne. The revelation this morning (God was it only this morning?) had left her with little time to evaluate her real feelings for Clark (aka Superman) and even less time to evaluate how he felt about her.

When she answered the doorbell at 7.30 precisely she was surprised to find Clark standing just a few inched behind her with his powerful arms crossed across his broad chest. She really shouldn't be surprised, he could move faster than a speeding bullet after all. She opened the door expecting to see a driver at the door but stopped suddenly when Bruce Wayne himself stood at the other side with a big grin on his face and a bouquet of red roses in his hands. He was wearing a suit which she thought probably cost him more than her yearly salary but boy did he fill it out well!

"Ms Lane. So pleased to finally meet you, I'm looking forward to spending some time with you" His voice was melodious and friendly and the grin on his face reminded her of Jason when he was trying to charm her into something. There was a twinkle in his eye as if the situation was amusing him in some way.

"Please call me Lois" She said leaning into a business like handshake. She was shocked when Bruce lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the back of her hand in a gallant but romantic manner. "Enchanted but you must call me Bruce, Mr Wayne was my father" There was a subtle cough from behind her and she turned to Clark.

"Bruce let me introduce you to Clark ..."

"No need for introductions Lois ... I'm familiar with Clark's ... work" there was subtle pause in which he raised his eyebrow. Clark reached his large hand forward for a handshake and even Lois could see that his grip was firm. He didn't let go straight away and Lois saw Bruce wince in pain. What on earth was he doing? He was going to break his hand if he wasn't careful!

"Mr Wayne. What time can I expect Lois home? She isn't a night owl like some" Clark was attempting to place a smile on his face but failing miserably.

"I am sure we'll have a super time tonight Clark and I'll have her home long before her bedtime"

The two men glared at each other for a while longer. Clarks eyes had a fierce predatory look in them and Lois' theory was realised. He was jealous! but what did it mean? She really should have been insulted but the part of her that was still thinking straight was gloating. The testosterone frenzy could have gone on all night so she decided to intervene.

"Shall we go?" She asked as she brushed past Bruce and calmly walked through the door.

Before she knew it they were speeding along in Bruce's sports car. She was surprised to find him such good company as they spoke about the upcoming mayoral election in Gotham and he spoke of the new DA and his hopes for the city. Lois soon realised that Bruce wasn't at all like she expected him to be. The shallowness she had been expecting simply wasn't there. The media portrayed him as an airhead with no common sense but instead she found him intelligent and excellent company.

Once at the restaurant they were seated straight away at what were obviously the best tables in the place. As they placed their order Lois went into her bag to retrieve her voice recorder.

"You don't mind do you Bruce? Just to cover us both in case you aren't happy with what I write"

"I'm sure you'll do me justice Lois" His grin was flirtatious and she had to admit that he was one sexy man but rather worryingly she felt no temptation what so ever. What was her problem? Oh yeah he was in love with Clark for goodness sake! Even the amazingly rich Bruce Wayne couldn't compete with that! Wait a minute did she just admit to herself that she loved Clark? Not Superman but Clark! Oh lord this was so confusing. She mentally shook herself and automatically went into interview mode.

"I'll start with the obvious question: Why Metropolis? All your other ventures have been in Gotham or thereabouts. Are you planning to expand your empire?"

"Metropolis fascinates me Lois. It is a city you should be proud of and I'd like Gotham to emulate the characteristics which make it so special. We already have several museums in Gotham which Wayne Enterprises have invested in but I feel that Metropolis and the people of Metropolis could benefit from a further museum"

Lois then went on to ask several other questions regarding the proposed venture and Bruce responded with smooth unrehearsed answers.

She felt throughout the interview that whilst Bruce seemed at ease he was so much different to his billionaire persona. She had always been a good judge of character but something about Bruce just didn't add up. Where was the irresponsible playboy?

She soon got her answer whilst waiting for dessert. Bruce leaned back nonchalantly with his arm draped over the back of the chair and a gleam in his eye.

"So Lois … what would it take for me to persuade you to go out with me again?" His question took her completely by surprise and she almost spluttered the glass of wine she was drinking all over him. Yeah that would have been so sophisticated!

"You do know that this is business don't you Bruce? I mean you are a very … attractive and interesting man but I don't mix business with pleasure"

"Can't you make an exception … just this once? It's only one story you are working on then we can concentrate on the pleasure side rather than the business" he asked with his adorable puppy eyes. Just then she heard a familiar tune coming from her clutch bag. "Excuse me" she said glad of the interruption. He gladness faded when she saw her home number displayed on the screen of her mobile. Was there something wrong?

"Hello Clark? Is everything alright … Is it Jason?" she asked with a distinctive note of panic in her voice. After all the health problems Jason had had in his early childhood it was enough to panic her when the babysitter phoned.

"No no Lois everything's fine …. " the rest of the sentence was difficult to hear as the spluttering noise from her dinner companion erupted from across the table. He was laughing almost manically through his fingers whilst trying to hide it. Men are so strange!

"Pardon Clark I didn't hear you. Bruce is laughing" There was a long pause before Clark replied. He said "So how is the interview going Lois? Are you getting what you need for the article?" He sounded annoyed, actually he sounded really annoyed.

Lois froze as she was about to reply. Was he listening to the conversation? To her private conversation? To the conversation where a rich and sophisticated billionaire was about to ask her out on a date? How dare he? She was livid and she felt her face start to flame. Oh he was so going to get it now!

"What did you need Clark? I'm in the middle of a really interesting conversation" Take that you overprotective eavesdropping superhero type man!

"Oh it doesn't matter now. Jason has found what he was looking for. It was er … under his bed. I'll let you enjoy your meal. Remember what I said though Lois about Bruce. I'm only saying it because I'm your friend and I worry"

"Bye Clark … I'll see you later" She tried to keep the annoyance out of her voice as she ended the call and turned to Bruce.

"Sorry about that Bruce … why are you laughing?" He sobered up straight away and replied "Oh it was just something that struck me as funny … Sorry! I'm fine."

Lois knew she would regret this later but she was sure that Clark was still listening.

"Now where were we … I think you were talking about pleasure. Unless you've changed your mind" She ran her index finger up the sleeve of his suit jacket and looked up into those too pretty eyes. To give him some credit he looked a little startled at her change of heart but his recovery was felt when he raised her fingers to his lips and gently kissed them. Was she getting in over her head here and was making Clark jealous going to be worth it?


	3. Chapter 3

BRUCES POV

Bruce was more than a little shocked by Lois' sudden change of heart but his instincts kicked in and he went along with the not so subtle flirting. What on earth was he going to do now? It had been so much fun to act the charming playboy with Lois and he thought he was going to bust a gut when Clark had phoned her in order to interrupt their conversation but he really didn't want to push Clark too far. He may find the Kryptonian really annoying at times but even Superman had a limit and having Batman hitting on his love interest was pushing that limit a bit too far. After Clark had phoned him that afternoon with his demands… well what else could he call them? … he had found himself looking forward to bringing him down a peg or two. Bruce Wayne was just the person to do that after-all he thought with a smug grin.

His relationship with Clark had always been strained due to Bruce's tendency to beat the hell out of the bad guys and his insistence that Superman stayed out of "Bruce's city" unless he asked for his help. Clark lived in an ideal world where the legal system worked and evil was punished accordingly. However they both knew they could always rely on each other in a crisis. Bruce genuinely enjoyed the relationship they had but even so admitted to himself that they were too different to ever be close friends.

Ok … Lois had just touched his knee under the table and it was progressing upwards … Shit! He hoped that Clark wasn't watching too closely. Bruce thought quickly and held onto the hand to stop it's upwards path. He looked into Lois' eyes and realised that she was more than a little tipsy. Oh great … now what? This was getting out of hand. He didn't have any doubts that she had feelings for Clark but would she actually want to spend the night with Bruce? It wouldn't do his image much good if it got out that he'd turned her down but he wasn't going to sleep with the mother of Superman's son just to save face. He had far too much respect for all three of them to do that. She was really attractive, he'd give her that, but he couldn't possibly take her back to his hotel suite.

He needed to think fast. How could he make her stop flirting with him without being the one to put an end to it? He wasn't going to back down with the flirting because he wanted Clark to think he was seriously contemplating sleeping with her. It might just tip the balance and give Clark the push to do something about the non-relationship he had with his son's mother. To be honest even he could see that Lois and Clark were meant to be together but unless Clark was willing to come clean about who he really was there was no chance for them in the long run and let's face it a brilliantly attractive and sophisticated woman like Lois wasn't going to fall for the bumbling Clark Kent persona.

LOIS' POV

She felt like she was in a nightmare! Well a nightmare with a really gorgeous and mega rich billionaire seducing her, but a nightmare all the same. She never should have started this. It wasn't fair on Bruce to pretend that she was interested in him and she had a niggling worry in her woozy brain that he genuinely found her attractive and was expecting more from her than she was willing to give. God only knew what Clark was thinking! Her hand was going up Bruce's inseam and her befuddled brain wasn't stopping it. What the hell was she doing? Wait a minute … how many glasses of wine had she drunk?

Bruce stopped her stray hand with his own and held it about mid-thigh which she was grateful for. Why was she doing this? She loved Clark and she should just come clean with him instead of tormenting him in this way. In her inebriated mind she could admit to herself just how much she really did love him.

"Is it true that you spent the night with Superman? Was he any good?" Bruce's voice brought her out of her stupor and as his words sunk in she felt like he'd poured a bucket of ice cold water over her. "W..What did you say?"

In all the years since that article had become public no one had ever had the nerve to ask her outright if they had had sex. She pulled her wayward hand out of his and clutched her bag to her chest. How dare he ask her such a personal question?

"That's none of your business buddy!" She realised that she was shouting and the heads of the other patrons were turning in their direction. The sober part of her mind realised that this was her get out and so she stood, swayed slightly and held onto the table, then proceeded to leave the hotel. She knew it was incredibly rude of her but she was in no fit state to give him an answer in her inebriate state.

He caught up with her at the entrance after pushing through the small crowd that had appeared in the doorway of the restaurant . He saw that she wasn't looking where she was going and was heading towards the busy traffic. As he grabbed onto her arm to stop her from walking into the road she yelled.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME YOU OAF!" Bruce's face held a look of shock and disbelief. He opened his mouth to reply but the words didn't have the chance to come out.

The sudden gust of wind blew the hair into Lois' eyes and before she knew it a familiar blur of red and blue swept past her and collided with the form of Bruce Wayne. The billionaire found himself pushed, none too gently, against the outer wall of the hotel staring into deep cerulean blue eyes which were far from happy.

Lois no longer needed an excuse to sober up because there was nothing more sobering than seeing your ex-boyfriend (aka superhero, aka son's father) holding someone up against a brick wall in full view of numerous passers-by because you had taken to flirting with the said someone. It was completely her fault and if she didn't do something about it quickly it could escalate into something more serious.

"Thank goodness you save us from getting run over Superman" She realised that her voice was way too high and she sounded so false but she just hoped the crowd were dumb enough not to see through her. Was it obvious that Superman was having serious control issues here? She managed to grab him around the bicep and tugged hard but he was too far into the staring contest that he didn't pay her any attention. Under her breath she said "For goodness sake let him go … people are staring"

It must have worked because he loosened his grip and Bruce slid to the floor rubbing his neck but they didn't loose eye contact with each other. Lois had to admire Bruce because not many men would have the courage to look an angry Superman in the eyes and not flinch.

Clark seemed to mentally shake himself and said calmly "I'm sorry Mr Wayne … I over reacted. I thought Ms Lane was in danger" Bruce nodded and answered him equally calm "No problem Superman"

Lois' brow wrinkled as she realised that she was missing something really, really important. It suddenly hit her and before her brain could register the mistake she said. "Wait a minute … Who's looking after Jason ?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Authors Note: Wow ... Thanks so much for all the reviews. It makes it all worth it to know that others are enjoying my story. I've now completed chapter 4 and I have several partially written conversations between the three main characters which will become chapter 5! **

**Chapter 4 ...**

There were only so many of these life altering moments one woman should be able to take within 24 hours. They should have a law about it Lois reflected as the blood started to drain out of her face. She was normally so level headed and put a lot of thought into what she said but she had just messed up. Royally messed up! It wasn't the shocked expression on Clarks face that was concerning her too much. After all he already knew that he was Clark Kent as well as Superman, he'd get over it! So she hadn't planned on letting him know straight away but her plans rarely … well … went to plan anyway and she'd deal with him later. It was the tall sexy billionaire who was still standing against the wall and must have heard her stupid stupid question that was worrying her. There was no way he wasn't going to work out what her question meant. Why would be asking Superman about her babysitting arrangements?

What had she done? This was big … this was huge! She'd known for less than a day and it looked like she had already let the cat out of the bag. She was such a bloody idiot! What would Bruce do? Would he go to the papers? Oh God she'd just ruined Superman's life! She stared intensely at Clark as he returned her gaze with a shuttered expression giving nothing away. Both of them frozen to the spot with no idea how to proceed. She was far too scared to look at Bruce but surprisingly it was Bruce who broke the silence and the tension. In a light hearted voice he said.

"Lois you've definitely had too much wine if you can't remember that you left Jason with Clark. Do you want me to take you home now?" He had a suspiciously blank look on his face but his eyes held a certain amount of humour which worried Lois no end. He took her by the elbow and attempted to steer her away from the now substantially larger crowd. "Have my car brought round please" he called to the doorman.

It must have been the fact that Bruce now had his hand on Lois' elbow that pulled Clark out of his shocked stupor. She knew … Lois already knew who he really was. How long had this been going on and why hadn't she yelled at him and told him how much he'd hurt her? He had been building up to telling her for months now but never gotten enough courage to do so. Something had always changed his mind but she must have known the whole time and enjoyed the fact that she was fooling him. Seeing her flirting with Bruce tonight had been torture for him and knowing that he didn't have the right to stop any potential relationship between the two of them left a bitter taste in his mouth. Let's face it any woman who spent more than a few minutes in Bruce's company normally fell for the Wayne charm so why should Lois be any different?

Did that womanizing vigilante really think he was going to just stand here and let him move in on Lois? Bruce knew about his feelings for her and was flaunting it in his face. All night Lois had been throwing herself at Bruce and their intentions to take it further were quite clear. He became aware of an intense burning sensation in his eyes and quickly shut them tight. Good Lord! He hadn't lost control over his heat vision since he was at high school. He managed to calm himself and briefly mulled over the fact that he had almost incinerated Batman with his heat vision. When he was no longer a danger to anyone he spoke but still found that his voice held anger and frustration "I'll be taking Lois home" he stated with complete certainty and a facial expression that brooked no argument.

Bruce must have realised how angry Clark had become and Lois had to admire the way he wasn't backing down. He was either incredibly brave or so full of his own self importance that he thought he was immune to Superman's anger. His gaze didn't leave Clark's as he said "A very eager looking reporter has just turned up and this crowd looks really curious. How are you going to explain why you are acting like a jealous ass and whisking Lois away from her date? We don't want to put extra fuel on the fire now do we?" He looked incredibly smug and his gaze never wavered from Clarks but Clark realised that although he was deliberately goading him he was also right. To make a scene in front of the crowd and a reporter would open up a lot of questions that the really didn't want to answer.

There was nothing to it Clark mused he had to leave her in Bruce's bat like clutches and go back to Jason but God help Batman if he laid a finger on her! Ironically it was one of the junior reporters from the Planet who had arrived on the scene and he was already reaching for his camera. He needed to get out of there fast before he started snapping shots of the three of them together. So he took flight and headed back to the apartment where his young son was still sleeping peacefully.

His departure coincided with a squeal of breaks as Bruce's sports car pulled up alongside them sending the crowd into alternate moans of complaint and admiration at being so close to such a fabulous car. Bruce took the time to scowl at the valet but in the circumstances refrained from making a comment.

Before Lois knew it she was once again sitting in the plush seats of Bruce's car but this time the silence was deafening. She had no idea whether he had realised the implications of her earlier question. He must have, he couldn't be that stupid … could he? What should she say to him? The silence was broken in that weird way that sometime happens by both parties break the silence at the same time.

"I'm sorry about storming out …." "I'm sorry about what I said earlier"

They both timidly laughed and waited for each other to continue. Bruce started by saying "I really shouldn't have said what I did Lois. It was very rude of me and absolutely non of my business" He sounded a little bit rehearsed and glanced sideways at her as he manoeuvred through the Metropolis traffic. His next question sent a cordon of alarm down Lois' spine. "Isn't this tunnel lined with lead?"

His abrupt shift in topic both startled and worried her. "I … I don't know" she stuttered. Oh my God why did he ask that? Was he going to ask her outright if Clark and Superman were the same person? She hated lying and wasn't particularly good at it. Why had she drunk so much wine?

The wheel of the car was suddenly turned to one side and he pulled the car to a halt still inside the tunnel, disregarding the angry motorists behind him. He turned in his seat to her as if to speak but then hesitated and glanced around them. He leaned towards her so that their faces were mere inches apart and said quietly "I'm not going to ask you about your relationship with Superman don't worry. I'm just going to say that I've had a really nice time this evening and I really like you Lois" His intense gaze was more than a little scary and Lois was desperately hoping that he wasn't going to kiss her. She could feel his breath on her face as he continued. "I was in love once … with my best friend. She was killed and I've always regretted that we were never together in the way I always wanted. If you love someone don't waste time being stubborn and worrying about the consequences because life is too short" Well that was a little deeper than she expected from Bruce Wayne! She simply nodded as he pulled back into the traffic and swept them through the tunnel and out the other side. The rest of the journey was made in silence but the kind where words aren't really needed and she found herself drifting off to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

As Bruce pulled up outside Lois' apartment building he could see Clark was already waiting in the doorway for them to return. Once again dressed in his ill-fitting, and to be honest, down right ugly suit. Bruce completely understood the need for the duel identity, in fact he was probably the one person in the world who truly understood, but why did Clark have to look like such a nerd? It always made him feel slightly uncomfortable. Clark was, he reluctantly admitted, the most powerful being on the planet yet he managed to fade into the background so well while Bruce was the exact opposite and flaunted himself so everyone couldn't help but notice him. On the surface they had nothing in common but Bruce had long ago realised that they were probably the only two people in the world who could truly understand the issues with leading such unusual lives.

"She's asleep" Bruce said as he exited the vehicle and came around to the passenger door to open it for the sleeping Lois.

"I Know" Clark replied in a condescending manner and a sarcastic voice which was very unbefitting for the superhero. He really needed to work on his bedside manner thought Bruce!

"Of course you do" Bruce muttered under his breath. He was stating the obvious here as he was under no illusion that Clark hadn't been keeping an eye on them both.

As Clark gently lifted her out of the car carefully avoiding hitting her head on the low roof, Bruce once again found that he couldn't help but try to get a reaction from Clark. It was a kind of illness he thought.

"Do you want a hand getting her undressed?" Bruce tried to keep a straight face as the words came out but failed and instead did a very un-gentlemanly like snort as he returned to his side of the vehicle.

Clark could have chosen to ignore him but instead replied with "Well you're the damn expert Bruce"

Bruce wasn't going to miss this opportunity and to be honest he was a little shocked by Clark's outburst. "Wow! It must be bad, Superman just said a naughty word!" He deliberately left his mouth hanging open as if he was deeply shocked and frozen to the spot. He looked about as dumb as he could manage to get.

Clark chose to ignore him this time but couldn't help the small smile creep onto his face at Bruce's strange sense of humour. It was rare for him to use any sort of profanity even when he was alone but the situation seemed to call for it. He wasn't going to demean himself by apologising to Bruce for the bad language.

As Clark he began the short walk into the apartment block carrying his burden in a way which made it look as if he was struggling, Bruce was serious once again. "We really need to talk Clark. I'll see you later" He called out as he returned to the car and sped off into the night.

It was a quarter to two in the morning and Clark had been sitting in the same position for two hours watching Lois sleep. He had stubbornly refused to remove any of her clothing on principle and had simply laid her on the beige leather sofa in the living room, removing just her shoes. He was officially pathetic and bordering on stalkerish behaviour but he just couldn't help himself. He gently brushed her hair out of her face and gently kissed her forehead as he listened to her gentle breathing. His son was sleeping soundly across the hall and his gentle snores and strong heartbeat made Clark realise just how much he had to loose if he couldn't manage to make this whole thing right. How had he managed to get himself into this situation? He thought he had all his bases covered and he would have banked his life on the fact that Lois had no idea about his true identity. Had he done something to give the game away or had she finally seen through his disguise? He desperately wanted her to wake up so that he could question her further but at the same time he was completely terrified. He was so deeply in love with Lois that it hurt whenever they were apart and yet he had never gained enough courage to tell her just how much he cared or to tell her the truth about himself. He was such a coward! Was it too late for them? His heart felt unusually heavy in his chest as he contemplated the idea that they would never be together.

He could have so easily swept her off her feet as Superman, he knew he could have without very much difficulty. Lois had always had feelings for him as Superman, feelings that she may deny with words but her bodies reactions always gave her away. He had always been proud of his ability to do the right thing and his conscience had stopped him from taking their relationship further until she knew the truth. There had of course been the night that Jason was conceived but that had simply been a weakness on his part. A weakness which was one of the most memorable experiences of his life but a weakness non the less. She would never have fallen for Clark Kent, it was as simple as that but his own personality was far more Clark than Superman. As Clark he just wasn't the kind of person who inspired those kind of feelings. If only he had had the money to be a fake playboy like Bruce! Bruce had the money, the fast cars and the ability to make a woman swoon by a single look whereas all Clark could do was put together a newspaper article and fall over his own feet at every given opportunity. Each had chosen to serve those in need and make the world a better place by using their abilities but whereas Bruce had flaunted his looks and position to hide his dark side, Clark had chosen to fall into the background and become invisible. He was he had to admit though happier like this as he hated being in the limelight.

The rage he had felt towards Bruce earlier in the evening has long since passed and right now he just felt a deep and frustrated anger towards the man. He had to accept the fact that if Bruce hadn't stepped in earlier with his cool and clear head the situation would have gotten out of hand. How would they have explained to the world why Superman was acting so out of character? He was on the verge of seriously damaging his reputation just because Lois Lane was getting too friendly with a rich playboy … he'd had him by the throat for goodness sake! He understood the media's obsession with Superman's love life and it wouldn't have taken a genius to figure out what was happening between the three of them especially once the reporter, what was his name … Adrian … had eyewitness accounts of Lois throwing herself at Bruce in the restaurant. My goodness! Lois managed to get herself into trouble often enough without the world thinking that she was having a mange et tros with Superman and Bruce Wayne. She'd be the worlds number one kidnapping target!

Lois stirred in her sleep and her breath juddered slightly as she turned onto her side. Her brunette hair was in disarray and fell across the sofa arm. What was he going to do about her? He had always thought that they would eventually be together … it was a fact of life just like the sun coming up in the morning. He had secretly been so relieved when the relationship she had with Richard had come to an end and felt so guilty when Lois had poured her heart out to him one evening at the Planet when they were working late. She had admitted to him that she had loved Richard but not enough to spend the rest of her life with him, and Clark, the ever faithful friend, had handed her tissues while she cried on his shoulder. Had she known then who he really was? He somehow doubted it but you never could tell.

His heart felt heavy and he came to the conclusion that she simply didn't care enough for him in either of his identities. If she had cared she would have confronted him and yelled at him and more than likely thrown things at him. Once the relationship with her fiancé was officially over he had expected … well something from Lois. Not straight away of course as the end of any relationship needed a period of mourning but it had been too long and Lois had made no effort to pursue a relationship with the father of her son. The few conversations she had had with him as Superman had been tense to say the least. It was obvious that she wasn't interested in him at all he thought sadly as he continued his vigil.

Clark found himself drifting off to sleep himself in the arm chair he had stationed himself in and was woken by a scratching at the French doors. Wait … the French doors? He x-rayed the opposite wall and saw Bruce standing on the balcony, still wearing his ridiculously expensive suit from earlier. Quickly and quietly he left Lois to her slumber and went across to open the balcony doors.

"How did you get up here?" he whispered as he closed the doors carefully behind him to avoid waking her. He could feel is anger start to resurface but managed to keep his feelings out of his voice.

"Zip Wire" was the curt reply. Clark was a little stunned. Did he have to make things so difficult all the time? He had some cool gadgets but there was no need to risk being seen with them out of his bat suit and out of his own city. He really didn't fancy having to write up an article about Batman being seen in Metropolis.

"Why didn't you just use the elevator like a normal person or even call first?" he hissed.

Bruce looked a bit sheepish as he replied "Er … force of habit I guess." He rubbed the back of his head with his hand as if nervous "Anyway, since when do you use the elevator?" he countered.

"I use it all the time when I'm not in the suit." They both kept their voiced low, the chances of being overheard were slim but it wasn't worth taking the risk. The conversation was stilted and neither really knew how to begin the "real" conversation.

"I didn't want anyone to see me going into Lois' apartment" His excuse was flimsy at best. If anyone had been around to see him he could easily have blended into the surrounding area and made himself invisible.

"And seeing Bruce Wayne zip wire to her balcony from the rooftop opposite isn't suspicious?" Clarks eyes widened in as he spoke as if dealing with someone who wasn't too intelligent.

"You may have a point there … anyway are we good?" He looked sheepish as he peered through his eyelashes at Clark with his head lowered. He really was worried about Clark's reaction to everything that had happened that evening. The situation between himself and Lois hadn't gone as he'd planned it at all and he didn't want Clark to feel that he was actually interested in her.

"Have we ever been good Bruce?" Well at least he was honest. They had known each other long before Clark's "world trip" and always managed to clash somehow. Bruce chose to ignore the uncomfortable question and instead replied.

"You do know I've still got a piece of Kryptonite on my utility belt don't you? Am I going to need it or have you calmed down?" It was a subtle dig at the eye glowing incident which had to be honest scared him for a moment and Lord knows, he didn't scare easily.

"Have you just come here to gloat that you almost got my ex-girlfriend into bed or is there some other reason you're bent on annoying me?" His voice hissed as he leaned in towards Bruce. He extended his arm alongside Bruce's head and placed it against the exterior wall preventing him from going anywhere. Bruce wasn't easily intimidated as a rule but he wasn't going to be stupid either. He looked Clark directly in the eyes and there was a calm intensity in this voice as he said.

"I'm not interested in her Clark … I'm really not. She's wonderful but if there was ever a woman who was off limits to me it would be her"

It soothed Clark somewhat because the could see the honesty in the other man's eyes and the way his heartbeat hadn't increased significantly whilst he spoke. Perhaps he had miscalculated the situation.

"Then what was tonight all about? Why did you deliberately try to seduce her? You know you can have almost any woman you want simply because of your money, your face and … " before Clark could finish the sentence Bruce interrupted

"… and my sexy body … don't forget my body!"

"… I'll ignore that. Why would you try to do that?"

Bruce had just about had enough. "Don't be such an idiot Clark! I can't believe that for a supposedly intelligent super-being you are this stupid" the words fell like icicles.

"Calling me an idiot isn't going to make me forget that you crossed the line tonight"

"Oh give me strength …" He threw his arms up and paced away from Clark. He then turned abruptly and stood face to face with his fellow superhero. His voice was barely above a whisper but no less intense and annoyed because of it "She knows you and Superman are one and the same right?" Clark nodded slightly confused "At which point in the evening with me did she throw herself at me?" He paused for effect "I'll tell you. It was right after you phoned her with some pathetic excuse just to stop me going all playboyish on her and charming myself into her bed." He paused once again before announcing the punch line "She knew you were spying on her you IDIOT and she was trying to make you jealous!"

Clarks eyes widened as the implications hit home. Bruce was right! Lois had been totally professional right up until the point where he had called her. She had even turned down Bruce's attempts at seduction and hadn't shown any interest until he'd made that stupid phone call.

He turned and began pacing from one side to the other of the smallish balcony. His mind was once again going around in circles as he tried to understand what Lois had been thinking. Bruce stepped back into the shadows to give the Kryptonian time to think.

"You may be right" He eventually said turning to Bruce. "Do you think she is really interested in me?" Even to himself he sounded like a 15 year old with a crush on the head cheerleader.

"Well either that or she was really trying to get me killed and she's using you to go about it! It's got to be one or the other!" he couldn't help the sarcasm that time. Bruce was genuinely happy for him and couldn't stop the grin that was on his face but still couldn't believe that Clark was so insecure when it came to the fairer sex.

Clark began to laugh. It was a slow chuckle and certainly broken the tension which had enveloped the balcony since the beginning of their conversation. "Looks like I'm going to have to take a leaf out of your book and try a bit of good old fashioned charm. Any tips?"

"Yeah! Be Yourself … I mean the real you … not Superman and not nerdy Clark Kent" he was worried that he may take offence at the comment but he didn't seem to. "Oh … and you may want to apologise … several times for lying to her. One thing I know about women is that they hate being lied to. Technically you may not have lied but a lie by omission is still a lie." Clark simply nodded.

They stood in companionable silence shoulder to shoulder, each to his own thoughts until Clark piped up.

"The problem is that she's going to think that she's let the cat out of the bag about my secret identity. I bet she's going to worry herself sick about it. She'll be imagining you going to the Inquisitor knowing Lois!"

Bruce gave it a little thought. "You can't tell her that Bruce Wayne already knows your secret identity without it looking really really strange can you?" It was a rhetorical question "Plus why would you have told me when you didn't have the guts to tell her?" It was unspoken between them that each would undoubtedly protect each others secrets. Neither one of them considered that the best way around the problem was to tell Lois who Bruce really was.

"There's only one thing for it, Bats" he said with his infamous farm boy grin "You are going to have to pretend that you really are as stupid as the tabloids make out. Do you want a lift to your hotel?"

Bruce looked horrified "Absolutely not! I'll take the elevator".

**Authors Note: Thanks for sticking with the story so far! **


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Lois slowly came awake and for some reason found herself laying on the sofa in her living room. OK this was new! Why hadn't she made it to the bed? She was still feeling fuzzy and slightly light headed. She sensed a movement from the kitchen door she spun her head around to find Clark walking across the room with a confident stride. The previous day's happenings started to creep back from her sub consciousness as he set down a steaming mug of coffee on the side table and stood with his hands casually in his pockets. He always knew exactly when she needed coffee. Was there some way he could tell that her body was craving caffeine?

He smiled nervously as she pushed the blanket back and tried to sit up. The room was still spinning but she felt oddly vulnerable laying down whilst he stood over her. If she was honest it wasn't that she felt any fear it was just that she didn't like being at a disadvantage.

"Hi …. You're Clark again" Way to go Lois … that was clever! She rubbed her hands over her face and groaned as her head began to hurt.

"Not really, Lois. I'm just me in my office clothes." She had hoped they could at least pretended that last night hadn't happened until she was caffeinated up. She chose to ignore the opening he gave her to the conversation she was still trying to avoid. Keep things simple until she had woken up properly.

"Jason?" she asked.

"Asleep" he replied in a soft caressing voice as he watched her take a sip of the coffee.

"What about Bruce?"

A brief flash of humour crossed his face as he turned and concentrated on the opposite wall. "He's asleep too if you must know ... and snoring!" She couldn't resist the smug smile that Clark was trying to suppress.

"Show Off!" she mumbled "I mean" She emphasised in a louder voice "What the hell are we going to do about him?" She was fully awake now and the implications of last nights fiasco were starting to become clearer. "If he was the dumb airhead I thought he was going to be I'd not be too worried but last night … he seemed kind of intelligent" Her voice had risen and her heart beat had increased.

"I'm so sorry Clark … God what have I done? If he tells anyone … it's over. You'll never have any peace or any chance of a normal life and ….and you'll have to give your job up and you love your job … we can never be together if everyone knows you're Superman and what about …."

He had been willing to let Lois go on but … tears. ..tears he couldn't cope with and she had mentioned them being together! He didn't give himself a chance to process what he was about to do. He knew if he thought about it too much he would bottle out so he simply lowered himself to sit beside her and pressed his lips against hers. There was very little movement at first just a gentle pressure. He was kind of put out when she carried on mumbling against his lips. Her breath sent tiny shivers of arousal down his spine and to other regions of his body while her monologue continued.

"Lois … I'm trying to kiss you here. Could we talk later?" There was humour in his voice and she could feel the corners of his mouth curl up as he smiled but the husky timber held no doubt that he wanted her.

He … he was kissing her! Really truly kissing her. The words she had been about to say were forgotten as she joined in the kiss, her tongue darting out to touch his. It was magical and new and yet so so familiar. Had it been like this the last time they had been together?

One of the things she found it so difficult to forgive him for was the fact that he had stolen her memories from her, potentially some of the most special memories she had. It was this that was, if she was honest with herself, the reason she had been so cold with him since he told her the reason she couldn't remember. Or rather why she was cold with Superman …. Lord it was confusing.

She knew the sex between them must have been pretty good because well … he was Superman after all … but she hadn't imagined that a single kiss could be so intense.

Suddenly his lips were no longer on hers and she felt a sense of loss until she realised that he was nibbling along the side of her neck, she gasped as her insides became liquid fire. He was murmuring under his breath as he pushed her gently back into the sofa so she was partially reclined. "I thought you'd be so angry if you found out" his tongue went a little lower down to her collar bone "I'm so sorry … forgive me?" Right at that moment she would have forgiven him anything, she would have done anything and said anything just to keep feeling the way he made her feel.

But suddenly Clark was no longer there and there was suddenly cooler air around her. He was standing by the window instead with his hands firmly in his pockets and his breath coming, much like hers was, in short gasps. What …?

"Mr Clark … didn't you go home?" The little voice coming from the doorway brought her back to her senses. Her heart was pounding so fast and so hard that she didn't need super hearing to be able to hear it. She felt as if she was about to spontaneously combust from just a simple kiss!

"Sure I did but I came back to cook you and your mom some breakfast" He couldn't believe how calm he felt and somehow he felt more confident than he'd ever felt before. He was sure that Lois would be aghast if word got out that he had spent the night here, however innocent (or not so innocent) it had been but it didn't ease the guilt he felt for lying to his son.

"Cool, can I have pancakes? Mom said I can only have them at the weekend but it is nearly the weekend now I think. How many days is it until the weekend Mr Clark?" He ruffled Jason's hair as he answered the torrent of questions. Had he been this talkative as a child or had Jason got this from Lois?

"I …" she couldn't quite get her words out "I think as today's a special day we can manage pancakes" They shared a look, a look filled with longing. She knew they had a lot of things to discuss but she found it hard to take her eyes off him. His kiss had confirmed that he really did have feelings for her and she knew he wasn't the kind of person to do such a thing without his heart being fully behind it. That was all that she needed to know at the moment. The rest would take care of itself.

"Why don't we do breakfast, Jason and let your Mom have a shower and get ready for work?" He never took his eyes off her whilst he spoke to their son. His grin was in danger of splitting his mouth wide open and she found in infectious.

"Sounds like a good idea … " she couldn't seem to help the husky quality of her voice as she began to leave the room "… but no peeking!" She didn't hang around to see the shocked expression on his face. He wouldn't … he'd never done that in his life!

Jason sat on the high kitchen stool swinging his legs too and fro whilst Clark found the ingredients for the pancakes. He was obviously deep in thought as he said in a hushed tone.

"Does Mom know now because it'd be really good if she knows because keeping secrets is really really really hard" There was silence as Clark considered his answer. He needed to explain to Lois that Jason already knew that he was Superman. She was going to furious when she found out that he'd asked Jason to lie for him! They had a new beginning here the three of them. It was early days but he desperately wanted them to be a family and he was scared of making a mess of it. He couldn't bring himself to lie to Jason.

"I found out last night that she knows that I'm Superman as well as Clark but she doesn't know that you figured it out before her. Can you pretend that you don't know for just a little longer Jason?"

"Why? She'd be proud of me for figuring it out she'd say it's because I'm clever"

"You are amazingly clever Jason but she'll be upset with me because I asked you to pretend you didn't know. I'll tell her today and then they'll be no more secrets. Is that OK?"

He nodded thoughtfully. "That's OK Mr Clark. Can you make pancakes with your eyes?"

Lois heard an urgent knocking at the bathroom door as she was getting out of the shower. So she wrapped the large pale green towel around herself and opened the door.

He had his back to the door. Lord he was so cute and so so old fashioned. If she was honest she really didn't mind if he took a peek but she wasn't about to upset his strong mid western values by telling him that!

"It's OK I'm decent" he turned and tried not to stare through the towel that covered her body. "Did you just have a look?" He looked guilty and replied ""What NO of course I …"

"I'm just teasing you, Clark" He was really cute when he was flustered and it gave her such a buzz knowing how easily she could fluster this amazing man.

"This is really bad timing but I have to go" His face was full of regret and faster that Lois could comprehend he had spun into his blue and red Superman suit, gave her a fleeting kiss on the forehead and exited the building through the bathroom skylight. Wow! That was … quick!

She began the mundane routine of getting Jason ready for school and herself for work with a large smile on her face. Life was good!

**Author Note: So at last we get some romance! Thanks for the reviews and to all the readers who have added this story to their favourites. It's brilliant to know that you're enjoying it! Chapter 7 will probably be posted fairly soon as I already have a fair amount of it written. Oh and Clark is only just beginning with the charm ... (he didn't really need any advice from Bruce he's going to do just fine on his own!)**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

If she thought yesterday had been a strange day at the Daily Planet then today was doubly so. To everyone else nothing had changed but Lois had undergone some amazing things in less than 24 hours and it made her feel really guilty. If anyone had told her this time yesterday that she would be looking towards the elevator doors like a love sick puppy waiting for dorky Clark Kent she'd have thought they were nuts. How did she never realised that he was Superman? Why had she never noticed just how hot Clark Kent really was? Lord she had it bad! She could barely concentrate for a second without thinking of him and she wondered how she had managed to get Jason to school without some sort of major mishap.

She hadn't heard from him since his super speedy transformation in the bathroom but the ever present newsreels in the bullpen were showing a cave in at a mine in South Africa which was keeping him busy. She'd used her initiative and told Perry that he'd had an early morning meeting with a source. At least she hoped she'd done the right thing. This secret identity business was new to her but she was determined to get the hang of it somehow.

That was the least of her problems she thought as she noticed Adrian Waterhouse looking nervously across the room at her. Was she really so scary that a work colleague, a reporter at that, found her intimidating? She may as well grab the bull by the horns she thought. If he was simply going to watch her all day in the hopes that either Bruce or Superman popped up to give him more details he had another thing coming. She signed raised herself from the desk and walked briskly and confidently across to him. He looked startled and started the conversation with "Er What? How?" She leaned down to his level and said "Hi… did you by any chance get any really good photos of me and my companion last night?" he shook his head and she could almost see the sweat begin to appear on his brow "Oh good that means that there isn't going to BE a story .. . Understand what I'm saying buster?" He looked terrified. "Good boy Adrian! If I find that there is a story and that it has in any way got anything to do with you then you may wish to er … leave the country?" she couldn't resist patting him on the head as she left like he was a mischievous little boy. Hopefully that would put an end to any rumours.

She'd just written her outline for the Bruce Wayne story when a sudden hush appeared throughout the bullpen. She looked up from her laptop to see what was causing it. The early mornings were usually booming with noise so it was rare for any moments of calm.

The sight that met her eyes was that of a large bouquet of red roses which appeared to have sprouted legs as they came towards her. Or rather they were so large that the poor delivery person could barely see over them. Oh and they were still coming her way!

"Ms Lane? A delivery for you"

She was shocked to realise that she didn't really know who they had come from. She hoped against all hope that it was Clark who had sent them but what if it was Bruce? Had he not been put off at all by Superman's hands almost around his throat? She quickly took the card amidst the jeers and wolf whistles that were surrounding her, she saw a brief flash of light as Jimmy decided the occasion deserved to be captured on camera. The card simply read "At Last" and was signed with the letter S". Try as she might she couldn't resist the huge grin that appeared on her face or the blush which spread across her cheeks. He was so unbelievably romantic … the big dork!

"Oh Wow! Your interview last night must have gone really really well" Cat, gossip columnist extraordinaire gloated. "What on earth did you do for him to warrant this much attention?"

Way to spoil the mood! Lois thought, the rumour mill was going to go into overtime. Should she tell them that the flowers weren't from Bruce? What would they say if she told them that they were from Clark … or rather Superman? There was a slight hush as they waited for her reply. It was better to let them think the flowers were from Bruce, at least for the time being.

"It's called having class … not that you'd know … Cat" She emphasised the last word to make it sound like an insult. The hush was broken by the tittering laugh of several of their co-workers.

"Ms Lane …" She turned at the strange voice "Delivery for you" Her jaw hung open as she realised that there was another bunch of flowers behind her, this time they were white roses.

She couldn't help the girlish giggle that escaped her lips as she tore into the second envelope it read "You look beautiful this morning. Can I take you to lunch?" and was signed with the letter "C". Talk about split personalities! Should she nod or say yes or something in answer to his question? All eyes were on her so she didn't think it was such a good idea as they would all think she'd lost her mind.

"OK Everyone show's over … well I think it is … get back to work" Perry's voice pulled everyone out of the daze and sent the reporters back to work. "Lane … take those home with you at lunch. I'm not having the Planet turn into a florists" he grumbled.

OK back to work! She found really hard to concentrate when all the time she was getting sideways glances from her co-workers and she caught snatches of conversations with both her and Bruce's names in them. Adrian had a smug expression on his face as he put on his coat to leave the building. He paused by her desk and said "Nice Flowers Lois"

"Thanks, I like them" She replied. She really didn't trust the little weasel.

The phone on her desk gave a shrill ring.

"Lois … Can I speak to you in my office please" It was Richard. She didn't answer him but put the phone back in it's cradle. She resisted the urge to put her head in her hands. She knew it wasn't work related as they now worked in different sections. It had to do with the flowers and her assumed relationship with Bruce.

When she entered the office he told her in a reasonably calm voice to close the door after her.

"What's wrong Richard"

"I'm worried about you and this thing you've got going on with Bruce Wayne." He started pacing the room whilst she sat like a chastised school girl on the hard plastic chair. "I know we aren't together any more but I still care about you and Jason is still my son … well you know what I mean … I don't want you to fall for Bruce Wayne, he's bad news! He gets through women like other people get through … mugs of coffee. He's not the kind of person who'll stick around and I don't want you to get hurt, sweetheart. He can afford big bouquets of flowers and meals in posh restaurants it's pocket change to him but it won't last and he'll move onto some bimbo supermodel. I saw the expression on your face when you read those cards and you are totally crazy about him already. Please Lois, take a step back and look at the big picture before you get hurt too bad. It isn't like you to … " Lois interrupted him at that point. He was so unbelievably amazing to care about her so much after all she'd put him through but she couldn't let him go on assuming that she was about to become another notch on the billionaire's bedpost.

"Richard, the flowers weren't from Bruce Wayne"

He stopped mid stride "They weren't?" a look of confusion flickered on his face "Then who … are they from?"

She must have looked like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. Could she tell him the truth? Well not the whole truth of course but part of the truth. She hesitated and decided against it. Her relationship with Clark wasn't something she wanted out in the open just yet and to be honest she was concerned about Richard's reaction to the news.

"I'm seeing someone. He's smart and kind and utterly brilliant but I don't want to share just yet. You don't have to worry Richard… he's a good man" She had a sense of deja vu as she said the words. Hadn't she said the same thing to Superman about Richard?

Just then the door burst open and Perry dropped a newspaper on Richards beech desk. His face held a ferocious scowl. "How come I have to hear about this from a second rate tabloid when it concerns one of my own reporters and is written by one of my soon to be ex-reporters. Doesn't anyone have any loyalty anymore?"

The headlines made Lois' head spin "Has billionaire Bruce Wayne stolen Superman's Girl?" It was accompanied by a grainy photograph of Superman pinning Bruce against the wall with Lois trying to prise his arm away. The by-line read "Adrian Waterhouse". She plonked herself on the small sofa in the corner of the office and put her head in her hands. This was bad!

**Authors Note: Well that chapter was a complete surprise to me too! It wasn't meant to go quite like that but the characters just took over the keyboard and wrote it themselves! I now have to decide what happens next ... Thanks for the reviews!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Lois found that both Richard and her boss were looking at her intently with a speculative look in their eyes. That dirty sneaky little weasel had deliberately lied to her and gone to a crappy tabloid paper because he knew that Perry would have asked too many questions before printing such lying rubbish! OK so maybe it wasn't total lies but that wasn't the point … Adrian flipping Waterhouse didn't know that! And he had the audacity to call her a girl! She was Lois Lane for Christ's sake not some ditzy teenager. She quickly read through the article and was shocked by the obvious sensationalism, love triangle indeed, but could see little that could be considered slander. There was a convincing eye witness account who had seem the whole fiasco and was willing to share all. The fallout from this had to be handled delicately not only with the public but with her work colleagues and friends. The press weren't going to let this be swept under the carpet unless there was good reason to discredit the evidence.

"Lois … I hate to ask this but is this something to do with the conversation we just had?" Richard's expression was open and understanding but he couldn't hide the bitterness. He had asked her repeatedly about her relationship with Superman and she had always told him there was no relationship. The conclusion that he had come too was far too close to the truth, he thought that her "boyfriend" was Superman! Well he was but it was far far more complicated than that and were they even dating? Was she just making assumptions based on this morning and all the kissing? She wanted to be honest with Richard, she owed him that much, but if he thought she was involved with Superman then how could she ever to be able to have a public relationship with Clark? She needed to lie to him and hated herself for doing so but had little choice. "Of course not!" She met his gaze and tried to make her expression as blank as possible.

As usual her life was saved by Superman. OK that was a tad dramatic but the timing of him popping his head around the door with an adorable goofy smile was spot on.

"Hey Lois … what've you been up to? There are flowers taking over your desk and everyone's looking over here as if something big has happened"

Richard gave an almost inaudible sigh which was picked up by everyone except Perry. He was a patient man but in his opinion this was a private conversation between his family and he was obviously about to ask Clark to leave. Lois looked beseechingly towards the door and said "Come in here Clark and welcome to my life … it's one big mess right now and it can only get worse but at least it's not boring" She ended with a small smile so that he knew she still had a sense of humour.

She felt so relieved that he was here with her because she had no idea how to get out of this mess. "Have you seen the tabloids? … It looks pretty bad?" She meant it as a statement but it came out as a question. She was hoping desperately that he would know what to do. He took the paper and quickly scanned it. He had an idea what the article contained because he'd overheard several conversations this morning which had him wishing he could get back to Metropolis sooner. He still couldn't believe that he'd been such an idiot last night and now it seemed like he was about to experience the fallout.

Perry took charge and sat himself in Richard's chair, his fingers steepled together looking pointedly at Lois

"Look sweetheart we can't defend you in this unless you tell us what actually happened. This is a newspaper and we'll report the facts. Then we'll sue the pants off them for slander. I'm not having low life scum making assumptions about one of my best reporters. I'll sorry I employed the worm in the first place. So Lois … what happened?"

It was one of those rare moments where Lois Lane, didn't know whether she should laugh or cry. She needed to state the facts and felt herself begin to blush with mortification. "You want to know what happened? … I went to dinner with Bruce Wayne and acted like a total hoe then when it started getting a bit too hot for me I deliberately over reacted to something he said so that I could leave with a little bit of dignity in tact. I ran out on him and started yelling at him. Superman must have been in the area and he thought Bruce had …. I don't know … not been gentlemanly enough … and went all macho and protective and … that's the picture you have there" She slammed her hand down hard on the desk and a silence ensued. "Oh and I was pretty drunk too!" She couldn't quite meet Clark's wide blue eyes, they hadn't actually discussed what had happened at the restaurant. She waited expectantly for their reactions and was greeted with slightly shocked expressions.

"So" Richard began "It's pretty much as the article stated. But Lois you aren't the one to blame here. It's Superman that should be taking the heat for this, he's the one who had the guy pinned against the wall"

Clark cleared the lump in his throat and joined in the conversation. "He's right Lois. Superman is responsible for this mess and it's up to him to clear his own name. I'm sure there are a few paparazzi already waiting outside to get a reaction from the Planet" he looked pointedly at Lois

"So why don't Lois and I take a longish lunch?" The slight elevation of his eyes let her know that he planned to fly them out of there. If either of the other men were surprised by Clark's assertiveness they didn't make a point of it.

"Lois … take the rest of the day off! Kent you can keep her out of trouble for the afternoon" Perry had made his decision. They all needed time to sort this mess out and Perry hoped that Superman would do the right thing and come forward with his own version of the events before Lois became the centre of a media frenzy.

"But I … I've got a story to finish" Lois complained. She normally hated taking time off work and Perry knew it but spending all afternoon with Clark was going to be a definite perk. Lord was she blushing again? Even in the direst of circumstances the air seemed to hum whenever he was near her and she was finding it more difficult to avoid showing her feelings.

"If that's the Wayne Museum story I think it's a good idea to shelve it for a while honey" Perry replied. Any story regarding his top reporter and Bruce Wayne was bound to incur closer scrutiny and the story wasn't that important anyway.

Richard leaned forward and put his hands on Lois' shoulders. "Lois. If I was you I'd phone your boyfriend before he hears from someone else about this" Clark's startled look wasn't lost on any of them and he quickly tried to cover himself by pretending to knock his knee on the desk and give a startled shriek. Boyfriend? Since when did she have a boyfriend and why didn't he know about him? His felt his heart began to sink as the implications hit home. Had he made a huge mistake this morning? He had assumed that she was as committed to him as he was to her but they hadn't really had the opportunity to discuss where their relationship was headed. He could begin to feel himself panic and had a sudden urge to get out of the office and fly up as high as he could, away from everything on this earth that was out to cause him more heartache.

Lois wasn't aware of Clark's confusion and couldn't help the snort of laughter that erupted. "Don't worry Richard he won't believe it anyway. For some reason he trusts me" She was looking directly at Clark as she said this with her eyebrows raised slightly. What was his problem?

Perry sat up straighter in the chair he was occupying "Since when do you have a boyfriend?" It was the question that Clark really wanted to ask but right now he was struggling to compose himself

"Where did you think the flowers came from Perry? And before you ask I can assure you it wasn't Bruce Wayne"

Clark's deep outward breath of relief was a little stronger than it should have been and the gust blew the window blinds outwards. The silence was broken by an outburst from Richard. He looked annoyed now and his voice rose as he replied "More fool him for trusting you! You were making out with Bruce Wayne last night or did you forget?"

"Making Out? There was no making out! I was flirting there was no kissing or anything" She was angry now and they were toe to toe. "What do you think I am? I'd not do that if I had a boyfriend would I?" But technically she hadn't had a boyfriend last night and she was just digging a deeper hole for herself. "Richard … it's not really your problem anymore is it? I promise I have nothing to hide from … my boyfriend, and who decided to call him a boyfriend anyway it makes me sound like a teenager and I'm not and neither is he" She ran out of steam at that and looked sheepishly around the office. "OK let's go to lunch, Smallville" and at that she grabbed Clark's arm and manoeuvred him out of the office. He gave an apologetic look to the other two men and allowed himself to be steered away.

Clark grabbed her around the waist as she was about to knock into a intern coming around the corner. "So boyfriend?" he asked with a cheeky expression and a gleam in his eye.

"If you'll have me" her reply came swiftly.

He pulled her a little closer and whispered in her ear "I'll have you anytime Lois" She was a little embarrassed by her bodies reaction to him and the effect he had by just a few words. When he really set his mind to it Clark Kent was a master of seduction!

One of the other reports, an annoyingly creepy guy called Gil, broke the mood by shouting from across the room "Hey Clark you want to be careful. It seems Lois is Bruce Wayne's new love interest and Superman's not happy about it"

Lois was about to yell a reply back when she felt Clark's hand on her back. "Shh … not worth it" he whispered in her ear as they began to collect their belongings for their afternoon off.

An empty elevator was a really good location for a truly spectacular kissing frenzy Lois decided as it reached the roof level. Her hair was mussed as was Clark's and they were both out of breath but the short journey had given them time to reconnect and temporarily forget the problems they faced. Clark had stopped the elevator at the 40th floor to extend their little interlude but he could tell that others were waiting for it so had to continue their journey.

They were holding hands as they left the security of the elevator but Clark quickly removed his hand from hers and deliberately left a degree of space between them. She was confused by his actions and worried that she had upset him in some way.

"Clark?"

"Just give me a second sweetheart" His gaze quickly swept the area and he said "There's a woman with a camera on the roof of the Prentice Building." He stuck his hands in his pockets and deliberately turned his back on the photographer. "I can't get enough speed up when I carry someone to make an invisible getaway. We'd better stay up here a while and then … I'm sorry but we're going to have to leave the old fashioned way and get a cab or something."

"Oh … does that mean I can't kiss you up here?" Her expression was all innocence and her lips were pouty.

"Ms Lane, just how many men do you want?" he said in the deeper voice of Superman "You realise that you are involved with Superman, Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne and your boyfriend don't you?" And Batman of course he mentally added.

"You do realise that that is only two men? And believe me that Bruce Wayne isn't a patch on you. Who wants rich when you can have a superhero anyway?" She said with a mock smug grin on her face and her nose in the air. Clark couldn't help the big grin, technically she could have both with Bruce but he couldn't tell her that.

"Talking of the esteemed Mr Wayne … we need to figure out what Bruce is likely to do with the info he has?" With all the fuss this morning she'd temporarily forgotten about the other problems they faced.

"Shh … don't worry he didn't suspect anything" He pulled her gently into a platonic looking hug and she rested her head on his broad shoulder. He needed to be touching her and if the photographer saw anything it was simply Lois' partner offering her a shoulder to cry on. If they wanted to make something of that they were even more petty than he thought.

"How can you be so sure?" She asked in a small voice against his shoulder. Clark internally signed, it was a fine line between lying and not telling her the truth but he owed Bruce to protect his secret life as Batman so he had to choose his words carefully.

"I spoke to him last night after he dropped you off. He didn't seem to be shocked or anything about seeing me he just acted normal. If he had just realised that I was who I am then I think he'd have been a little jumpy … you know after I'd almost attacked him" the faint blush on his cheeks was kind of endearing to Lois and she thought it was due to embarrassment rather than the way he was struggling not to lie.

"He could still come to the right conclusion later when he has time to think about it. He knew you … I mean Clark … was looking after Jason. So why did he think I'd ask Superman who was looking after him. It doesn't make any sense ... Is he really that stupid?" Her eyebrows rose in surprise.

Clark shrugged "Apparently he is". He suppressed the urge to grin, it was always fun to get one up on the Batman.

"I've got it!" She suddenly pulled away from him as began pacing the rooftop. "You can take away his memories like you did with me" She scowled "and don't' think we aren't going to talk about that another time"

She was surprised with the look of horror that had appeared on his face. "NO! I can't do that … no … absolutely not. No!" She was shocked by the outburst.

"Why not? It'd be the easiest solution. You'd only have to make him forget that one slip up of mine and we'd be in the clear."

Clark started to laugh "Believe me Lois that's one thing I'm NOT about to do. Did I ever tell you how I erased you memories?" She shook her head "Let's get back in the elevator and I'll give you a demo but without the actual amnesia"

**Authors Note: Thanks for sticking with the story! Please R&R!**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The exit from the Daily Planet building was as fraught as Lois had imagined it would be. You would think that a seasoned reporter would have been able to deal with the swarm of paparazzi that ascended on them like irate bumble bees but she still felt extremely vulnerable. Clark was at her side and his arm was protectively draped around her slim shoulders but he was unable to offer any more than a cushion against the jostling she had to endure. The questions were coming thick and fast but she simply refused to give an answer and concentrated keeping her facial expression passive. The more ridiculous they were the more she had to suppress the sudden urge to laugh. When one idiot from the Inquisitor asked her if she had joined the mile high club with both men at the same time she couldn't help the laugh that escaped at the horrified expression of Clark's face.

They had commandeered the use of one of the Daily Planet cars which had been driven around to the front of the building by Richard White. With hindsight this was probably not the best of idea's due to their past relationship but once Lois was positioned the passenger seat, Clark replaced Richard as the driver. Richard took charge of the situation and explained to the crowd in no uncertain terms that Lois wouldn't be answering any questions. He then leant into the car and told her that he was going straight away to take Jason out of school. Normally Lois would have been upset at his possessive attitude but she had to agree that her son didn't need to become involved in this. It took a while for Clark to manoeuvre the vehicle through the crowd but they were soon on their way.

Lois took a deep breath "So where are we going anyway?" she asked. Clark glanced across at her in thought.

"Well there's been a change of plan … I had planned to take you somewhere really special but with all the extra media attention … if anyone recognised us in Rome we'll be in serious trouble. Hang on …it's Tuesday"

Wait he was going to take her to lunch in Rome? Her hand flew to her mouth in surprise. She had always been proud of the fact that she was rarely impressed when it came to grand gestures but a lunch date in Rome was so unbelievably romantic … wait …what does Tuesday have to do with anything? He had that far away expression on his face which she had come to realise meant that he was concentrating on something far away. "Mmm … I could cook something for you at the farm. It's not really romantic but it's private" He looked a little bashful at the prospect of taking her to his hometown which was hardly surprising considering the amount of time she spent tormenting him about it.

"You're taking me to Smallville, Smallville" She couldn't help chuckling at her own joke but inside she was a little nervous. She was usually a very confident sort of person but was she ready to meet his mother? Lord no … the woman must be some kind of Supermum to raise him and Lois was bound to feel inadequate in comparison. He then did that slightly annoying thing where he seemed to read her mind.

"My Mom spends Tuesdays at the market and meets friends for lunch so we'll have plenty of privacy."

Lois had flown with him on numerous occasions but this was so different. For a start off she no longer had the same amount of restraint that she had previously felt. He carried her bridal style with her legs thrown across his right arm and her arms wrapped around his neck. She chuckled as he temporarily lost concentration when she began kissing along his jaw and the underside of his throat. She felt empowered as she felt his body tremble at her touch. This was the most powerful being on earth and he was hers. She felt as if the world was spinning as the ate up the miles and she realised that she had never travelled quite so fast in his arms.

The journey was over far too quickly for her liking and soon they were over the famous corn fields of Kansas. The large stretches of land interspersed with farm buildings. Clark pointed to a larger collection of building a few miles away to the north and told her that was Smallville. For some reason she had expected him to live in the town itself as opposed to way out in the countryside.

The Kent farm was slightly smaller than she had expected but no less charming. When they descended on the wide porch she once again felt self conscious. This was someone else's home and they were there without permission. He was trying to suppress a grin as he reached out to her and smoothed her hair down. He really didn't care how she looked right then but knew he couldn't leave her all wind swept. She'd be furious!

"Shelby" he yelled and a large (well by Lois' standards) yellow dog bounded right around the corner and leapt at Clark licking his face furiously.

"Shelby I'd like you to meet my girlfriend Lois Lane" he said formally as if introducing her to an elderly relative.

Lois wasn't really sure what she was supposed to do. She'd never had very much to do with dogs. So she gingerly patted it on the head and said "Hi Shelby pleased to meet you". Her greeting must have been acceptable because the dog licked her hand and preceded her into the farmhouse.

She was surprised by the cosy and homely atmosphere in the living area Clark showed her into. The room was dominated by a piano on the top of which sat a selection of photographs showing a younger Clark and an couple who Lois already knew were his parents. There was a subtle mixture of traditional farmhouse furniture complete with a modern TV and a desktop PC in the corner. For some reason that surprised her because she couldn't picture Clark's silver haired mom surfing the internet. He walked up behind her and gently pulled her into a backwards hug he then proceeded to nimble her long neck and run his hands up her sides sending shivers of arousal all over her body. As amazing as it was Lois felt a little uneasy.

"Mmm … Clark can I ask you a question?" her voice must have seemed a tad too serious judging by his expression.

"Sure anything you want"

"Are you sure your Mom won't mind me being here? She doesn't even know me and I'm in her home when she's not here. I feel a little awkward as if we're teenagers sneaking around behind her back"

He grinned against the back of her hair. "Welcome to Kansas Lois. People don't stand on ceremony much around here and I know Ma will have no problem with you being here. In fact I think she'd be delighted that you finally found out who I am. It'll give her a chance to get the family photos out ... and I mean the real photo's not the ones we have on display"

"You mean …" she made a flying motion with her hands.

"Oh yeah! First time I burned a hole in the side of the barn, my party trick of juggling the tractor and the car and my first (or rather second) flight …the whole nine yards. They're locked up pretty securely but I'm sure she'll embarrass me with them. It's her right as a mother!"

"You burnt a hole in the barn?" She was facing him once again and was now confused about why his parents would photograph such a thing rather than try to stop him.

"Oh it's not like that … I was making a window" Oh well that sounded normal! "I was about 10 at the time" They both looked at each other with the same thought in their minds. How long would it be before Jason started doing such things. He hadn't really shown any of his father's abilities, except when under a lot of stress, but he was much stronger and faster than other boys his age.

She began to feel a little more comfortable being in his mother's house and when he told her to take a look around whilst he made them some lunch she didn't hesitate. The house was really quite charming and Lois could easily picture a smaller version of Clark running around and playing here. She was at heart a reporter and so shook off any qualms she had and began her investigating. She resisted the urge to have a look upstairs because that was far too personal but soon found herself towards the back of the house. The view from here was amazing, as far as she could see there were only fields with a few silos visible in the distance. It was beautiful but she was a city girl at heart and would go stir-crazy after a week with all that space and no other people or buildings.

The lunch he was making consisted of ham salad sandwiches and vegetable soup followed by cold apple pie. He assured her that the pie was one of his mother's as he always struggled with pastry. A fact that Lois found incredibility charming … he could lift whole islands but couldn't make pastry!

Just as they were about to sit down to eat he got that look in his eye and she realised that their lunch date was about to be cut short.

"It shouldn't take too long. You go ahead and eat and make yourself at home" Before she could answer him he's disappeared into the skies above Kansas and she heard a muffled sonic boom. She looked around and once again felt uncomfortable. The dog had long since gotten past the excitement of their arrival and was laying in front of the cold fireplace snoozing peacefully. Well he shouldn't be too long so she began the meal he had prepared for her and pondered what she would say if his mother returned to her house before Clark showed up again. That would be awkward!

The pile up on the highway didn't actually take as long as Clark had expected. There were six cars involved but thankfully there were no major injuries. It gave him the opportunity to take a quick detour and he headed back to Metropolis.

"So have you seen the newspapers?" His sudden appearance in Bruce's doorway startled the other man enough to actually make him jump. Not something that happened very often and it annoyed him no end. He had been worrying incessantly about being so far from Gotham in case anything important happened in his absence and had not been concentrating on his surroundings.

"Sure I have and I have to say that this is doing my reputation no harm whatsoever Big Guy" He walked across to the drinks cabinet and poured himself another glass of wine along with another for Clark. He rarely drank but the occasion seemed to call for it.

"Can you not call me that?"

"OK don't get your tights in a twist … apparently I'm such a good lover that Superman is the only one to compare … I'm right up there with the Gods." At this he raised his glass "The fact that I haven't had sex in …"

"Bruce … I don't need to know this! It's pains me to do this but I'm asking for your advice and your help. If the public can't trust me then they'll become scared of me. I'm expected to be perfect and what happened last night was far from that" It was rare that Clark needed advice but he couldn't clear his own reputation without Bruce's help.

Bruce took pity on him. "I've already arranged an interview with the said reporter … who sounds like a snake by the way … I'll tell him that it was all a misunderstanding and that you have apologised profusely for the whole incident. Which you haven't by the way so unless you do …" he tried to appear serious but the glint in his eyes gave it away. "I've also bought the hotel … a sound investment it seems. That way any members of my staff thinking of going to the press will now think twice with a retrospective confidentiality clause in their contracts" he was obviously proud of his mornings work.

Clark couldn't help but be impressed until Bruce continued "The reporters in Metropolis are sneaky little toads and to be honest I can't wait to get home"

"I'm a Metropolis reporter too Wayne! I could make your life a misery if I wanted to" he said with a grin taking the proffered glass of wine and downing it in one. "Let's face it … we're at a stalemate here. Both of us has a great deal of power over the other but neither can risk the same exposure for themselves"

Bruce looked into the bottom of his wine glass "You want to know one of the best kept secrets in the US?" At Clark's questioning look he continued "Bruce Wayne can't hold his drink … I've only had two glasses of wine and I'm all squiffy" He gave a charming playboy grin. "Did anyone see you come in here Clark? It would set tongues wagging if you were seen. I can see it now "SUPERMAN AND BATMAN IN LOVE TRIANGLE", "ILLICIT TRYST BETWEEN SUPERHEROS IN HOTEL BEDROOM", "BRUCE WAYNE SEDUCES SUPERMAN"

"OK you're starting to freak me out here Bruce" He began pacing across the plush white carpet, who has a white carpet anyway his wondered?

"I'm kidding! You really really aren't my type Shuperman" he scowled at his own mispronunciation of the words. He really needed to sober up before the interview this evening.

Clark sighed. "I am pretty sure that I WAS seem coming in here. That was part of the plan" At Bruce's confused look he continued "I have to be seen to apologise so it's a good thing I was seen"

"I suppose so. How is Mrs Shuperman? How did you explain that I didn't pick up on her … you know " he waved his hand absentmindedly in the air as if to express what his words couldn't.

It was hard for Clark not to laugh at the slurred words. He was no expert on the amount of alcohol a human should be able to drink but he was sure that two glasses of wine wasn't normally enough to cause slurring of the words. He took pity of Bruce as he slumped in the over stuffed chair with his head resting on the arm.

"What to you mean Mrs Shhhhuperman?"

Bruce laughed and pointed at Clark. "Well firstly you look way too happy and secondly" he paused for effect "you have lipshtick on your neck. They don't call me the world's greatest detective for nothing"

Clark couldn't help the blush, he was a grown man for goodness sake and shouldn't blush at such a little thing. Had anyone at the crash site noticed the lipstick?

Bruce thought for a moment."Does she really think I'm that stupid that I didn't pick up on what she said?"

Clark replied "Obviously" with a smug grin.

"It's probably for the best then but I can't help but be inshulted" he replied with his brow wrinkled in thought.

**Thanks for reading! Please R&R**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The muffled noise of a pick up truck shook Lois out of her relaxing stupor. She was nursing another cup of coffee and sitting on the back porch gazing over the corn fields. Contemplating the new turn her life had just taken. She knew they still had a lot of problems to sort out and a lot of questions needed to be asked but she couldn't remember feeling so happy and relaxed in her entire life. The noise seemed out of place and so she shot up off the wooden step and realised with a mounting sense of something akin to horror that the pick up truck was turning off the main road and onto the long driveway towards the farm. It had to be Clark's mom. Oh Lord where the hell was he?

Clarks earlier words of reassurance were forgotten as she envisaged the up coming meeting. Let's face it, she was way out of her depth here. She had absolutely nothing in common with Mrs Kent and she was pretty sure that no amount of charm could convince her that Lois Lane was a suitable girlfriend for her amazing specimen of a son. She was an unmarried Mom with a busy career, couldn't cook to save her life and knew nothing about farming or country life or corn! OK so maybe it didn't matter how much she knew about running a farm but how would Mrs Kent react when she found out that Lois had born Clark a son out of wedlock? You just didn't to that sort of thing in Nowheresville, Kansas! This was the woman who had raised Superman to be the superhero he was today and Lois simply felt inadequate in comparison.

Her panicked thoughts were jumbled but one thing she was sure of was that she had to face this head on. She was Lois Lane not some ditzy airhead … nothing scared Lois Lane! So what if she was about to meet her boyfriend's Mom for the first time without the said boyfriend. She made her way to the front porch and stood with a confident air trying to stop the shaking going on inside her.

As the old beaten up vehicle approached she saw the lady in question behind the wheel. Lois had seen photographs of her of course. Clark always made sure he had a photograph of his parents on his desk at the Planet. First impressions were supposed to count and Lois was sure her hair was still mussed from the flight and her lipstick had long since disappeared. It was too late now to do anything about it though.

As the truck pulled into the farmyard Martha Kent noticed the lone female figure standing on her porch. She was fairly used to having visitors arrive unannounced but there was something about the woman that seemed out of place on her porch. It was the clothes she realised … they fairly screamed "city girl". On closer inspection she realised who the visitor was … Lois Lane! Well that was an interesting turn of events. She wasn't about to jump to conclusions as to why the journalist was there but one thing was certain, she hadn't got there without help from Clark ... help of the airborne variety. Martha had unfortunately seen a live TV report direct from Metropolis of her son ushering Lois Lane out of the Daily Planet building not an hour ago and even the fastest jet couldn't have got her here that soon.

The younger woman looked nervous Martha realised with surprise. She knew of her reputation for being tough and to be honest she had been a little concerned about her son's obvious attraction for such a forceful woman. Clark may be a superhero but he was still a sensitive little boy at heart and could be easily hurt by this woman if their relationship went wrong.

What on earth was Clark thinking of letting the poor woman go through their first meeting all alone? Just wait until she had a word with him, it was really rude of him to leave them to introduce themselves and she had brought him up better than that.

Martha drove the truck into it's usual space alongside the barn and by the time she had gotten out of the truck and grabbed one of the bags from the back Lois had approached the vehicle.

"Hi Lois … I'm pleased to finally meet you. Could you give me a hand with the shopping then we can go inside and have a nice chat? Where has Clark flown off to?"

Lois still felt weary but at least Mrs Kent was smiling.

"He didn't say, Mrs Kent … he just flew off about 20 minutes ago." In other circumstances Lois would have laughed at the surreal choice of words "I'm so sorry to just show up here but Clark told me to make myself at home. I hope you don't mind" She resisted the urge to wring her hands together and instead began gathering the rest of the shopping.

"Of course I don't mind, honey and it's Martha. You're always welcome in my home … Clark has good taste when it comes to his friends and if he trusts you not to steal the family silver than I trust you too."

Lois felt a sense of relief with Martha's words. She had expected more than a little annoyance in the elderly ladies demeanour at her sudden appearance. She appeared on the surface to be the old fashioned grandmotherly type with her white hair but underneath Lois could tell she was still as keen as she had been in her youth.

Once inside the farmhouse Lois began helping Martha unpack the bags and put away the groceries. There was a surprising amount of food for one woman and Martha chuckled at the expression on Lois' face.

"Oh it's not all for me dear! Clark drops in for something to eat whenever he's out this way and he eats like a horse! I usually entertain my friend Ben a few times a week as well" The two women mutually decided to sit at the kitchen table and as Martha pulled up a chair she began.

"I'm so glad he finally told you Lois. You've no idea how many times I've told him to just bite the bullet and tell you who he really is … he cares about you and it's been so difficult for him to lie all these years. He was so scared that he'd loose your friendship and your trust."

Lois was moved by the speech and by the knowledge that he'd shared his feeling with his Mom but at the same time a little perturbed that Clark hadn't actually told her.

"He didn't bite the bullet … that is … he didn't actually tell me I sort of figured it out by myself" She couldn't help but look sheepishly at the older woman on Clark's behalf.

Martha gave a big sigh of frustration "Oh I love him to death but sometimes my son can be such a dope!" The statement played on Lois' sense of humor and they both began laughing almost hysterically. Lois didn't help by saying "Has he ever bitten a bullet? I'm not sure it's taste so good!". After all the stress she had endured recently it felt so good to laugh and have a little normalcy in her life. Martha was turning out to be nothing at all like she had imagined and she began to appreciate just how much she must have metaphorically brought Clark down to earth more than once.

Martha didn't want to interfere in her son's life but she felt the need to ask about the reports in the press, however indirectly. Lois hadn't in fact alluded to a romantic relationship with Clark and Martha really needed to make sure that she wasn't jumping to conclusions. She was sure her son was deeply in love with the attractive young woman opposite her but if Martha accidentally dropped him in it, so to speak, it could cause all of them a great deal of embarrassment.

"So … Bruce Wayne? He's seems a pretty interesting man" her eyebrows were raised in the silent question. "What happened to make Clark act like that? I caught the news report"

Lois was torn, on the one hand she didn't want to start her relationship with Martha by telling a big fat lie but on the other she didn't want the elder woman to think ill of her. She could feel herself blushing with mortification, taking a deep breath she began to tell the truth starting with how she initially came to the conclusion that her work colleague was more than he appeared.

Martha listened intently and nodded at the relevant moments as the story unfolded. She was perturbed by the way Clark had acted when jealousy had arisen, it simply wasn't like him to act without thinking and she had never known him to use any kind of physical force, however mild, in anger. Martha was sure that there was more to it than that. Why did Bruce Wayne manage to push his buttons so much anyway?

She couldn't help smiling when Lois told her, very hesitantly, that she was now officially, if secretly, dating Clark. Her hand covered Lois' across the table and when Lois looked into the older woman's eyes she only saw happiness on their behalf.

"Martha, I feel like such an idiot! I should never have tried to make him jealous." She dramatically put her forehead on the table top "It was a really stupid thing to do but I think part of me was still a bit angry for the way he lied to me."

"Oh honey that's only to be expected. To be honest I think I would've made him suffer even more if I was in your position." She ended with a chuckle. Martha left the table and turned her back on her guest as she began to prepare a hot drink for them both "He should have told you the truth as soon as he found out about Jason. He's an adorable little boy Lois, you should be really proud of him. I'd love for Clark to fly him out here again. He really loved it last time."

Lois felt the room begin to spin as Martha's words slowly took form in her mind and she processed the implications. There was only a short silence before the explosive "WHAT?" that came out of Lois' mouth making the older woman jump and turn around startled to face an irate woman who had been laughing just a moment ago.

Jason Knew! Clark had told him the truth and risked their son's safety in the process. Not only had he been lying to her but he'd forced Jason to do the same! What else had he told him? Did Jason know that Clark was really his father?

Without rational thought she scraped her chair back and went to the door of the farmhouse. Flinging the door almost off it's hinges in the process.

"CLARK KENT GET YOUR BUTT BACK HERE …. NOW"

**Authors Note: Thanks to MegasaurusRex101 for her idea and all the wonderful reviews! Sorry it's taken so long to update I'd like to give a really convincing excuse but I don't have one!**


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